Olympian boxer Imane Khelif sues Elon Musk, JK Rowling over gender remarks

At the Paris Olympics, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif faced intense scrutiny over her gender on social media after her opponent exited their August 1 bout in the 66 kg boxing category in just 46 seconds

Olympics gold medalist Imane Khelif, who was caught in a gender row storm at the Paris Olympics over her August 1 boxing match, is suing billionaire Elon Musk and author JK Rowling for alleged "aggravated cyber-harassment".

In a statement, Khelif’s lawyer Nabil Boudi, described the incident as a “misogynist, racist and sexist campaign” against the boxer. In a post on Instagram, he said that a complaint was filed on Friday with a special unit in the Paris prosecutor’s office for online harassment. 

During the Olympics, Khelif faced intense scrutiny over her gender on social media after her opponent exited their August 1 bout in the 66-kg boxing category in just 46 seconds.

Musk and Rowling were among the noted personalities to claim that Khelif was a trans person, dubbing her as a “biological male” - which has been refuted by the Algerian boxer, her country’s Olympics committee as well as the International Olympics Committee.

Their controversial posts, made on Musk-owned platform X (formerly Twitter), were viral among Khelif’s critics. Boudi said that the lawsuit was filed against X. Under the French rules, it means that “prosecution has all the latitude to be able to investigate against all people,” including those who may have written hateful messages, he said.

What was the gender controversy linked to Imane Khelif?

The main trigger of the gender controversy surrounding Khelif stemmed from her disqualification from the 2023 World Championships due to an unspecified gender eligibility test.

Donald Trump may also be investigated

Despite the criticism, the boxer continued her fight at the Summer Games, making her way into the finals and winning a gold medal on Friday. Boudi told Variety magazine that the boxer had approached his firm to file a complaint with the French authorities. He added that former US president Donald Trump would be part of the probe.
 

"Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution," Boudi said.
 

Khelif’s fight is for justice, dignity, and honour, the Paris-based lawyer added.
 

Former President Donald Trump posted via his Truth Social account that he would fight to prevent men from competing in women’s sports.
 

Besides, at a rally in Montana, Trump appeared to mock Khelif's victory, telling the crowd, "And I'd like to congratulate the young woman who transitioned from a man into a boxer."